Vuelta 2018 Stages and Routes

Almost anyone with even the least amount of cycling knowledge is aware about the Tour de France, which is one of the world’s most popular sporting events. In the world of cycling, though, la Vuelta a Espana (or commonly known as the Tour of Spain) is not far behind. Started several years behind the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia (Italy’s version of the multistage bicycle event), the Vuelta a Espana makes up for the cycling Grand Tour.

Over the years, there have been 70 editions of the Vuelta a Espana with each of them featuring a different route. However, the format of the race has remained largely similar with a minimum of two time trails, mountain stages, and a conclusion in Madrid. In recent times, the event has been held over the course of 21 days aside from 2 rest days. Keeping in line with the tradition, the 71th edition of the Vuelta a Espana has a unique course that starts in Ourense, which is a town in the north west of Spain.

Vuelta a Espana 2018 – Stages and Routes

Team time trial kicks off the Vuelta 2018 action in the region with high Portuguese influence since it is not far from the Portuguese border. Kicking off on August 25, Vuelta 2018 carries on until September 11. Riders will have completed a distance of just over 3270 km by the time they complete the 21 stages. The gruelling race is likely to be won by good climbers rather than great flat riders. This is because much of the Vuelta 2018 route is through mountains. A whopping 51 mountain passes will play its part in the Vuelta 2018 odds before one can think about a victory.

Teams with great flat riders, however, are unlikely to be disappointed since there are seven flat stages in the Vuelta 2018 route. Riders will have to negotiate one individual time trial and one team time trial. Incidentally, the Vuelta 2018 stages are a return to the usual format given that the organisers chose several mountainous and hilly stages within the opening two weeks for the 2015 edition. These stages usually occur towards the latter part of the race and are a key factor in Vuelta 2018 bet online strategies. It remains to be seen if a return to the format where there are several flat stages in the opening few days of the tournament will have a profound effect on Vuelta 2018 odds.